It is a legal obligation to prescribe no more than 28 days of any controlled drug medication. The amount provided will be based on individual clinical assessment.
Lost or early requests will only be issued under highly exceptional circumstances.
Medications such as opioids (codeine, tramadol, morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, etc), gabapentinoids (gabapentin, pregabalin), and benzodiazepines (diazepam, etc) will not be initiated for chronic pain due to significant risks outweighing benefits.
Patients currently taking the above medications for chronic pain will be slowly and safely weaned.
Long term users of such addictive controlled drugs will require 3 monthly reviews for the medication to be safely weaned. It is the responsibility of the patient to ensure this appointment is arranged to ensure the supply continues.
Skerne Medical Group adopts a zero tolerance approach to any behaviour perceived to be abuse of staff. All instances could culminate in either a warning letter or be immediately off-listed.